Lotus Seed
by Chong Tzu
Summary: "Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, I have placed a lotus seed in your soul. Will the seed grow? Will you, through enlightened action, grow beyond the divisions and limitations of this world? I ask you now: Will you join the Order of the White Lotus?"
1. The Call

**A/N: My first story on here. Tell me how you think I'm writing. I'd love constructive criticism in the reviews. If you just want to say that you liked it or hated it, go ahead. You don't _need_ to offer criticism. But please review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, _The Last Airbender_, or any of the characters or situations therein. All intellectual property (with the exception of this story) belongs to Nickelodeon and any other copyright holders.**

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><p><em>Lotus Seed<em>

Chapter 1:  
>The Call<p>

The lookouts at the wall of the rebuilt city of the Southern Water Tribe hadn't seen much action since the post was created three months ago. With the war ended and the Three Nations at peace with each other, there was not much need for them in the first place, but Chief Hakoda had been adamant that the Southern Tribe not let its guard down. For Keto, a seasoned veteran assigned as one of the two main lookouts, this meant his was one of the most boring jobs in the city. What's more, he had been saddled with an inexperienced younger warrior named Godun, who gave him no end of trouble. Thankfully, he could afford to spend most of his shifts dozing in the snow, as he was doing now.

"Keto, look!" The words shocked the young guard to alertness. The beautiful girls of his daydreams would have to wait: the lookouts had a situation on their hands. His partner Godun hadn't said a word on watch all week, so it had to be important. Keto felt a slight rush of adrenaline as he grabbed his wolf helmet and bow and rushed to the top of the icy lookout tower on the outer wall of the Southern Water Tribe to join Godun, who was pointing frantically to the horizon. "What? What is it?" Keto shouted, scanning the ocean. But Godun merely grinned. "That iceberg's been getting closer all week!" he said, bursting into laughter halfway through. "I think you should spear it, just to be safe."

For a second, Keto contemplated murder.

But this was not the first of the younger warrior's inane, obnoxious pranks he had endured, and it wouldn't be the last. "To the deep with you," he swore, rolling his eyes. "I'm getting back to my nap." As he began the descent, he heard Godun's laughter cease abruptly. "Keto, there's someone out there!"

Keto continued to climb down. "Shut up, Godun. It was stupid the first time; it's not gonna be funny a second time." But Godun persisted. "I'm not joking! There's a boat out there, and it's not Water Tribe!" Groaning, Keto ascended once more and looked out on the horizon. And then he perked up. Sure enough, a small, long, black shape was slowly approaching. Godun was staring at it through his spyglass. "Give me that, you idiot," Keto growled, swiping it from him and holding it to his eye. Godun was right. It was a canoe. And it carried one lone figure. It was wrapped entirely in black, with wrappings over its face and a hood over its head.

"Sound the alert. We have an unidentified boat approaching." Keto's voice was humorless, almost mechanical. Godun didn't need to be told twice. He simply nodded and raised his siren horn to his mouth.

The man in the canoe furrowed his brow as he heard the high, clear call of the siren horn. It almost sounded like a human voice singing: "Ooooooo…" but despite the soothing noise, he knew it meant the Water Tribesmen would be wary of him. However, he did not change course, stop, or even flinch at the sound; he merely continued rowing the small boat towards the shore and the gates. He knew that he would leave the place unharmed. He had nothing to fear.

The great icy gates slid open as he approached, in a way that could only be accomplished by Waterbending; he suspected Master Pakku was not the only Waterbender that had left the North Pole, and it appeared he was correct. He couldn't help but gaze up at the sheer size of the wall. It had been mere months since the end of the war, and the Southern Tribe had rebuilt this much already… then again, he supposed Waterbending could do that when your buildings were made of ice.

As the newcomer's boat approached the docks, a small contingency of guards, led by Keto, approached. "Get out of the boat," Keto commanded. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The man obeyed and stepped onto the wooden dock, rising to his full height as he did. He was somewhat tall, and Keto couldn't see much bulk to him, but he did see the man's eyes, and any doubt of the man's strength went out the window. They were wrinkled with age and sadness, and he looked at them so calmly, his amber eyes slowly drifting from one warrior to the next.

And then it hit Keto: he had amber eyes. He was Fire Nation.

"Who am I and what do I want?" the man repeated, his voice raspy, yet powerful. It seemed as if his voice crafted his words with loving care the way a blacksmith crafts his tools, pouring emphasis, weight and meaning into each and every one. The effect was to make him seem like a character from a play: some sort of larger-than-life figure. "Isn't that the question? I've wondered that myself many a time. You should ask yourself the same: who are you? And, what do you want? To know the answers to these questions is to have taken the first step towards a life truly at peace with yourself. But I'm no enemy, if that's what you're really asking. I'm here to hurt no one."

Godun, spear in hand, stepped forward. "We'll be the judges of that. You're coming with us." He reached out to grab the man's shoulder, and Keto started back as, quick as lightning, the figure grabbed Godun's wrist, twisted it behind his back, and pushed him away with an open palm, causing the rookie soldier to fall over in the midst of his comrades. Keto's eyes widened. The sweeping motions of the man's arms, the quick, powerful palm strike, and the overall flair of the movements were familiar to him. They looked like Firebending.

"I can walk by myself, thank you very much," the said calmly as the rest of the warriors pointed spears at him. He rolled his eyes. "I swear. I'm a friend." He pulled the hood down and uncovered his face. His grey hair was tied up in a topknot and around his mouth was a mustache and goatee. None of the soldiers knew or recognized him, but if they did know who he was, they would have escorted him like an honor guard. "I am Master Piandao of the Fire Nation, who taught the way of the sword to Sokka. I need to talk to him."

The crackling fire in the center of the large igloo acted as its only source of light. As it flickered and burned, it cast three shadows on the walls: those of Fire Lord Zuko, Avatar Aang, and Sokka, son of the chief of the Southern Water Tribe. The three of them sat in a circle, their eyes closed. To an outside observer, they would appear to be deep in meditation. After a long silence, the Fire Lord opened his eyes and turned to Sokka to speak of their important business. And important it was…

"Would you rather… make out with my sister… or yours?"

…important to a group of teenaged boys being teenaged boys, that is.

Aang's eyes widened and he watched Sokka intently. "Wow, that's a good one, Zuko," he commented. "I almost feel sorry for him now," he grinned evilly.

Sokka glared at Zuko, simply responding with, "I hate you." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. Neither of those options seemed… well, remotely bearable. "Okay, so, pros about making out with Azula: Admittedly, your sister was pretty hot… y'know, for a sadistic psychopath. Cons: She'd probably bite my tongue off and then somehow torture me with it. Pros about-" he shuddered slightly- "kissing my sister: She's ever so slightly less likely to bite my tongue off and then somehow torture me with it. Cons: well, first off, eww, second, I'd have both her and the Avatar trying to kill me afterwards, and third, _eww_. Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and let my tongue take one for the team here. Azula."

Aang laughed and slapped his knees. At that, Sokka's eye twitched. Aang was enjoying the game far too much. Sokka decided that it was time for the world's savior to get some heat. "All right, laughing boy, your turn," he said as a pair of downright cruel situations formed in his head. "Would you rather lick—"

But whatever horrors Sokka had in mind the other boys never discovered, because at that exact moment a Water Tribe warrior appeared at the entrance to the igloo. It was Keto. "Sorry to interrupt your meeting, sirs," he said, his eyes falling on Sokka, "but there is a man here who wishes to see you. He says his name is Piandao."

The three of them exchanged surprised glances, and Sokka's face broke out into a toothy grin. "Let him in!" he shouted, as they all got to their feet.

Keto nodded; he was visibly relieved at the confirmation that the man was who he said he was. Keto was already getting nervous: Piandao had this air of... power... to him. He was terrified of the thought of having to fight the man. He poked his head out of the tent and waved him in.

Sokka's face fell as his master entered the room. Piandao looked different somehow. His hair was grayer, and he seemed at least ten years older than he had been the last time Sokka saw him. After they greeted him with the traditional Fire Nation salute, Sokka asked, "Master... what happened?"

Piandao looked directly into Sokka's eyes. "I assume you're talking about my appearance. I've been pretty busy recently. I've been under a lot of stress, and it seems it's begun to take a toll on me." His eyes, however, conveyed another message: _not now; later._ "It's good to see you two again. And this must be the new Fire Lord. It's an honor to be in your presence, your majesty. I am Master Piandao." He knelt and kowtowed before Zuko.

"But—" Zuko began, but stopped himself. They had met before, and Piandao knew that. But what stopped him was a memory of the day they met.

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><p>Zuko had nothing but questions for the members of the Order of the White Lotus on the eve of Sozin's Comet. But so very many of them had been deflected by the old men, and no one in the camp with the exception of the old masters would even talk to them. Finally, he had settled on waiting in his uncle's tent until it was time for him to leave for the capital. His uncle was meditating, a few sticks of incense burning in front of him. In his hands he held his White Lotus Pai Sho tile. Zuko hesitated to break Iroh's trance. But finally, his curiosity got the best of him. "Uncle," he whispered, "what is this, really? What is the Order of the White Lotus, really, and why won't anyone give me a straight answer?"<p>

Iroh breathed deeply, remaining rooted to his spot on the ground. He didn't turn to look at Zuko; in fact, he didn't even open his eyes. "Zuko," he said, slowly, "You must understand. The Order of the White Lotus is old. Its age is truly unfathomable to most. And we have developed many secrets in that long history. Most people go through life never knowing of our existence. And for that we are grateful. But for those that do learn of us, our name, our existence, and at most, our identities, are all that is ever revealed. You are not a member of the Order."

Zuko frowned. "Uncle," he began, "I… I want to join you."

Iroh turned to look at his nephew, love and sadness mixing in his eyes. "I would wish nothing more than to have you join us. But it cannot be. Your destiny lies elsewhere. We do not wish to rule, and we would not have a sovereign among us." Zuko's chest clenched as he thought of what lay ahead for him.

"Zuko, do you trust me?" Iroh asked suddenly.

Zuko was caught off guard be the question. "Yes. I made the mistake of mistrusting you once; I'll never do it again."

Iroh sighed. "Then promise me one thing."

Zuko nodded. "Of course. Anything."

Iroh shook his head. "This will be hard for you. Not at first, perhaps; at least, not for you. For your friends, it will be harder. But over the years, I suspect the thought of doing what I ask will distress you more and more. But it's for the good of the world."

Zuko sat cross-legged across from his uncle. "What is it?"

"None of you can ever tell Avatar Aang of the Order's existence. Ideally, you will not tell a soul, but it is especially vital that the Avatar never know of us. If he asks, you will give him the same story that the others will be told: you did not meet all of us here at the outer wall. I was the only one. And, should I retake Ba Sing Se, you will tell him that it was with an insurgency of Earthbenders that I did so. Masters Pakku, Bumi, Jeong Jeong, and Piandao… None of them were ever here. Promise me this now."

Zuko stared in shock for a second. But finally, he assented. "I swear. I'll never tell him. But I think it might be Katara that you'll have to worry about the most," he added with a small grin.

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><p>Zuko smiled pleasantly as Piandao stood back up. "The honor is mine, Master. Sokka has told me a lot about you. I'm happy to finally meet you in person." It all sounded mechanical and excessively polite to Zuko's ears, but he wasn't going to break his promise to his uncle.<p>

Aang stepped forward. "So what have you been doing?" he asked, brimming with curiosity.

"Dealing with Fire Nation troops still loyal to Ozai," Piandao responded. "There are quite a few of them, actually; they've deserted and formed gangs of bandits who terrorize the countryside. I've been teaching small villages and towns how to arm and protect themselves from the soldiers. It's like the story of the Seven Swordsmen, but with one man and seven villages instead of the other way around."

Aang chuckled. "Sounds tough."

The sword master shrugged. "True. But it's working," he assured them with a self-satisfied grin.

Sokka hadn't spent that much time with Piandao, in hindsight, but he had strangely felt a bond with the man after their mere weeks of training. At the very least, he knew the master well enough that he could tell when he was lying. And he was. Stress could explain a little bit more gray hair, but Piandao's aging was far beyond that. There was something else. There had to be. Sokka could see it in Piandao's eyes: there was some lingering worry eating at the Master.

"Do you think I could have a minute to talk to my pupil alone?" Piandao asked Sokka's friends.

"No problem," Aang replied happily, adding, for Sokka's benefit: "I'm gonna go find Katara and find out if she actually bites tongues off." He bowed to Piandao and winked and grinned sadistically at Sokka as he slipped out of the room.

"He hit puberty fast," Zuko commented as the world's savior ran off to make out with his girlfriend. Then he turned to Sokka and Piandao. "I'll leave you two to your business."

Piandao nodded. "Honestly, Fire Lord Zuko… it's good to see you again. And I'm glad everything worked out."

Zuko's face brightened. "It's good to see you too. And thank you. We couldn't have done it without your help." He bowed deeply to Piandao and stepped out.

And then there was silence. The master and his student stood facing each other in the dimly lit room, completely quiet except for the occasional crack of the firewood. Piandao seemed like he was mentally preparing himself for the conversation to come. Sokka, on the other hand, was merely confused.

So, naturally, he was the one to break the silence. "So… how've you been?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

Piandao sighed. "Things have been difficult, Sokka. The story about the villages… I can tell you don't believe that. Good for you: it's a lie."

"Then what really happened?" Sokka demanded, as any sense of the master-pupil relationship was momentarily forgotten in his concern for Piandao. "I mean, I just saw you, like, a month ago, and you're like ten years older now!" He had gotten animated, pacing around the room and waving his arms around for emphasis. "That's not stress. That's… well, actually, I don't have any clue _what _that is." He stopped in his tracks, dropped his arms and turned towards his master. "What is it?"

"Simply put, Sokka: I can't tell you." Piandao replied firmly. "Know this: it won't kill me. But…" He trailed off.

"What?" Sokka asked, full of anticipation.

Piandao opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Suddenly, the eloquent master was rendered temporarily speechless. Sokka had never seen him like this before. Worry began to eat at Sokka's mind: what bad news could he have? His heart was pounding with anticipation. What Piandao finally uttered was practically anticlimactic.

"Do you still have that Pai Sho tile I gave you?"

Sokka's face fell. The question was so unexpected that Sokka had a hard time thinking about it at first. "W- what?" he stammered. "The… the Pai Sho tile? Uh, yeah. Yeah, I still have it." He was surprised to discover just how disappointed he was that his master didn't have some danger of which to warn him.

Piandao's seemed to notice the change in Sokka's mood, and Sokka could have sworn he saw the corner of the man's mouth turn upward a bit. "I'm going to need you to go get it. But first, I'll tell you why.

"I gave that to you because I saw something in you when we trained. Yes, I knew you were Water Tribe the whole time, but I saw that you showed me honest respect, even though I was technically an enemy. You looked past my nationality and saw me as a person. That's a rare quality in the world these days. And you're extremely good at improvisation in battle and in life. These two qualities in conjunction are very familiar to me. I was… just like that at your age."

Sokka smiled, almost embarrassed, as Piandao went on, turning to pace around the room. "One day, when I was sixteen, a man that I had known for most of my life gave me a White Lotus tile. What he told me, I now tell you." Piandao paused, and inhaled deeply once more.

Sokka began to sweat. Piandao… was here for him… and the tile. Before his master had even begun to recite, his mind balked at what he knew Piandao was about to ask.

"The mud of a lakebed is fertile ground, home to countless plants and animals. Some of these live in or under the mud itself, caring only for the nutrients they can filter from the water. Others swim freely through the lake, exploring and thriving in the world around them. But this world of theirs is ultimately limited. Of all the things that grow in the water, the most blessed is a white lotus. Its roots lie in the mud, but it grows tall and effortlessly through the water, which holds and supports its weight, until it reaches the surface. There, above all its peers in the lake, the lotus blooms into a brilliant flower, serenely existing beyond the touch of all aquatic life.

"Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, I have placed a lotus seed in your soul, and its symbol in your hands. Will the seed grow? Will you live like a lotus flower, serene and calm, above the illusory division of nations? Will you, through enlightened action, grow beyond the limitations of this world? Will you open your mind like a lotus blossom to the wisdom of the universe? I ask you now: Will you join the Order of the White Lotus?"

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 comes soon. Review if you want it to come faster.<strong>

**Until then... be seeing you!  
><strong>


	2. As Long As I'm Here

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. I'm getting used to all this, and juggling it with a full-time job. Again, as before, I'm happy to accept any and all feedback. Enjoy.**

**EDIT: 7/22/2011: Changed title below to reflect title in chapter list, fixed a typo in paragraph 28.  
><strong>

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><p><em>Chapter 2:<br>As Long As I'm Here  
><em>

Sokka just stood there, mouth agape. His arms hung limply from his sides, and he began to sweat a bit. "I…" he stammered dumbly. He could only guess at the ramifications of Piandao's invitation, but he understood the gravity of the situation. The Order of the White Lotus was no gentlemen's club. Come to think of it, he had no real idea _what_ it was. He took a deep breath, and finally, he managed to speak.

"I don't know what to say." He scratched the back of his neck as he thought about it. It was an honor, to be sure. But he hesitated to accept. "What happens if I say yes?" he asked Piandao, eyes narrowing. "I mean, do I get a piece of paper telling everybody that my name's Sokka and I'm a part of a secret society? Are we gonna go fight the Loyalist insurgents? Do you tell me the mysteries of the universe?" He waved his hands wildly in the air as he said the last part to accentuate his sarcasm.

"If you accept," Piandao explained, "you and I will leave the Southern Water Tribe immediately. We will travel together to a location I can't currently reveal to you, and then the Order will begin to teach you."

The answer was vague and unsatisfying to Sokka. "Teach me what?"

"I can't tell you unless you accept,"

Sokka cursed inwardly. Well, if he couldn't find out exactly what it was he would be doing, he could try to get some hints. "Will this ever put my life in danger?"

Piandao closed his eyes and nodded. "At some point, it likely will."

Sokka winced. The thought of dying on some secret mission no one would ever hear about didn't exactly appeal to him... "Is it worth it?"

"Frankly, yes. I can tell you this much: it will change you. It'll open your mind to new knowledge and new ways of thinking. And you'll help people in ways you can't even begin to imagine. It's definitely worth it."

Sokka shrugged. "Okay, then, I'll do it. I'll join you."

"Not so fast, Sokka." Piandao raised a finger in the air. "First, know this: the path along which you will travel is a long and arduous one. There is no turning back." He sat before the fire and crossed his legs, fixing his eyes on Sokka's. "If you accept, it is possible that you might not see your friends and family again for years… if at all."

At first, Sokka was completely unresponsive. "Yeah, that could be ba-" but as it sunk in, his expression melted into shock. Years? He'd have to leave his friends for years? The thought made him sick to his stomach. He almost tripped over his own feet as he walked towards Piandao and sat down next to him, unable to speak for a few seconds.

Finally: "N- nobody?"

"Probably not. Except for other members of the Order, you won't have much contact with the outside world for a while."

Sokka searched for some kind of a retort. He grinned as realization hit him. "But you and Grampakku and King Bumi and Iroh and Jeong Jeong talked to us, and we weren't White Lotuses!"

Piandao shook his head dismissively. "It's not the same. I can only say that the task we have in mind for you is not one that involves hiding in society."

Sokka sighed and sauntered over to Piandao, sitting beside him in front of the fire. The light of the flames lulled him as he contemplated the idea.

"Master, I can't do that. I mean, I can't leave my friends like that. We spent an entire year together, fighting the Fire Nation, just the three…. And then the four-" Sokka rolled his eyes at all the corrections- "and then the six of us. I really can't imagine life without them."

Piandao turned his head to look at Sokka, his expression full of sympathy. "I understand. I know what it is to have friends like those. It's not a normal friendship. At first, you'd want to say that it's like having a second family. But then you think about it, and it's not even quite like that. It's something more."

Sokka stared in disbelief. "Exactly," he said, wondering how Piandao knew what he was talking about. "I don't just trust them; it's like the idea that we ever wouldn't be there for each other just… never even crossed my mind before."

"It never does."

Silence fell. The two of them sat and stared at the fire for nearly half an hour as Sokka thought about the idea of leaving. What reasons would he have to leave, really? Knowledge and wisdom? At the cost of never seeing the ones he loved again? No, that wasn't good enough. But Piandao had mentioned "helping people."

"Master, if I go with you, _who_ will I be helping? And how?"

Piandao nodded. "Yes, that's a good question. You should know the net effect of what you'd be doing." He looked Sokka in the eye once more. "You'd be saving lives in a very real way. Make no mistake about that."

"But then, why just me? Why not my friends? My sister? Toph? Suki? Zuko? Aang? I can't even bend, and yeah, I can use a sword, but they can, like, lay waste to armies! Why me and not them?"

"Because you think, Sokka," was Piandao's firm response. "You stopped the Fire Nation's airships when Sozin's Comet returned, you conceived the sub-marine warship, you masterminded the invasion of Shoudu Island on the Day of Black Sun, and you were the one that took the initiative to find out about it in the first place, when your friends wanted to flee Wan Shi Tong's destructive wrath.

"The Order of the White Lotus does not 'lay waste to armies'. What we did in Ba Sing Se was nearly unprecedented. Ours is a path of subtlety. Yes, powerful benders exist in our ranks, but they rarely use their bending to further our cause. Great power in bending flows from spirituality and a clear mind, as you know. So wise men and women who bend do so extremely well. But it is their wisdom, and not their power, that makes them great." He sighed and went on.

"The things we do have real impact. Trust me. And trust your grandfather. And Iroh. And Bumi." He smiled at the last name.

Sokka, too, grinned a bit while thinking of the mad king of Omashu. "Hey, wait, what about Jeong Jeong?"

"I'd tell you to trust him too, but I have a feeling he may have left a bad taste in your mouth. He can be like that." Piandao shrugged, and went on, "Jeong Jeong's not exactly a people person."

Sokka, despite himself, had to stifle a laugh at the comment. It was good to break the tension for a moment. As he calmed down, he took a deep breath.

"It's not that I don't want to go with you. I'd love to go." He looked down. "But there's so much I'd be leaving behind here if I did. I even… me and Suki… we're kind of involved. I don't think I can just throw that away, even for something like that. I need time, Master."

Piandao nodded again. "I can give you some time. But I can't wait too long. A week, maybe. After that, you can decide if you're going to leave with me or stay here."

Okay. He had a week. He could have an answer in a week. Sokka smiled and stood up, bowing gratefully. "Thank you, Master. I'll have my decision by then." He turned to leave.

As he reached the door, Piandao stood up as well, calling after him. "Make sure it's the one you really want."

Sokka took in the scenery around him as he stepped outside. The Southern Water Tribe was beginning to look alive once more. With the help of their Northern brethren, the Southern Tribesmen had reunited the scattered settlements into one large community, and though they lived more simply than the Northern Tribe, their city was still a sight to behold. Sokka found himself walking from igloo to igloo, running his gloved fingers over the smooth outer walls and watching the way they subtly melted the snow. They hadn't been this well-made in years. Not since his mother had died. Sokka's chest tightened at the memory…

-o-

Though it was six years ago, Sokka could still remember the day vividly. It all started with an innocent snowball fight between him and Katara. They knew about Firebenders, and the war, and the danger of raids. Gran-Gran often told them stories about the Waterbenders she once knew. And they had even lived through one, when they were too young to remember it. But somehow it never sunk in just how real the danger was.

Only one thing from those stories never left their consciousness. The Firebenders were some far-off enemy that one never saw… unless the black snow fell. For years, any time snow fell on the city, the village elders and warriors alike would look up in the sky, horror briefly flickering across their faces. All the grown-ups, it seemed, were waiting for the black snow to fall.

And when it did, that peaceful day, the two children fell silent.

"I'm gonna go find Mom!" was the only sound Sokka remembered hearing for a long time.

The next few minutes were chaos. The screaming, the panic, the running… light and sound fused into a blur of sensation for the nine-year-old as he dashed along the all-too-familiar path to the shore, where he knew his dad would be.

He'd know what to do. He and Bato knew everything.

When he reached the shore, he beheld an image that froze itself in his mind and still wouldn't leave him to this very day. Men... no, creatures... some kind of humanoid insects, with shining black carapace serving as both skin and armor, and raging flames vomiting from what should have been their hands as they charged, roaring like tiger-seals, at the warriors. It was then that little Sokka first felt the fear and the drive of battle. Later he learned that, in fact, they were simply men in armor. But this is how he would remember them for years. They weren't the devious, conniving Firebenders he knew from the stories Gran Gran told. They were monsters, plain and simple. They wanted to kill him. They wanted to kill Katara. They wanted to kill Mom and Dad. He'd kill them first.

He heard the battle-cry of the warriors, saw them leap at the monsters, and watched, temporarily frozen, as his father and Uncle Bato grappled with living demons. Was this what the warriors did? Was this their power? It was awe-inspiring.

But then something drew his father's attention away from the battle. At the time, Sokka didn't see what it was. Later he learned it was his sister, telling him that there was "a man in our house." Immediately, Dad turned and left for the village. A new fervor coursing through his body, Sokka looked to find something he could do to help his father, to fight them off while he left to protect whatever it was he was running to. As one of the creatures was launched by another warrior into the snow bank beneath Sokka, the young boy threw a snowball at its unconscious form. That would teach it.

He then jumped over it and ran after the warriors to join in the fight to protect his home, stopping to pick a discarded blue boomerang off the ground. But before he could get the chance to show the monsters his fury and his power, they turned, disappearing into the massive black hive that had brought them. In futile anger, he threw his boomerang at the one in the rear. It went wide. He stared down the gleaming black shape as it pulled away into the ocean, belching smoke into the air.

He stood beside the warriors, triumphant, as these animals, these Firebenders, ran in shame from their strength. But the pride didn't last long, as he realized where his father had gone. Mom was back in town. And so was Katara. With his newfound warrior spirit, he dashed after his father, kicking up snow and dirt as he ran. If any of those Firebenders were threatening his family, Sokka was going to send them back to the pit from which they came.

Then he remembered silence. He remembered seeing the igloo far ahead and then… there was snow in his mouth. He fell on the ground after his legs gave out in fear. Fear of one of the two sounds he would never forget. Fear of his father's agonizing scream from within the igloo.

He forced himself to stand back up, and he kept running, and running, and as he reached home his pride, his confidence, his strength, and the newfound power he felt all washed away as his childhood ended.

"_Stay out!"_ Hakoda roared from inside the igloo as Sokka tried to enter. Before he had time to react, his little sister stumbled out the front door and fell over on him.

And in that moment, Sokka caught a brief glimpse inside, behind the curtains, and saw that his dad was cradling someone in his arms. From the clothes, it looked like his mother. But the face…

Whenever Sokka had tried to remember his mother's face, for years now, he had instead remembered Katara's. This was because she had essentially taken over the role of mother in Sokka's life after this day. But it was also a defense mechanism. Because for the first few years after the raid, whenever Sokka tried to remember his mother's face... the charred, bleeding lump of flesh and brain that surfaced in his mind would cause him to vomit. And as he saw it for the first time, he did.

Sokka reeled back, squeezing his eyes shut, and wailing, though he still couldn't remember the sound of his own voice then. But there was something he did remember. The second sound that remained in his memory: his little sister's gurgling sobs as she shook on the ground.

And Aang had wondered in the days before the comet came why she had wanted to take revenge on Yon Rha, the murderer, so badly...

But now, she was alone, terrified, and in shock. Some measure of Sokka's strength returned to him as he knelt down, averting his gaze from the thing in the igloo, to take his sister's arms and lead her away, out of sight of it and into the snow, where they sat and cried for hours. She clutched to him and held on like he would die if she let go. Sokka, tears of rage and fear and agony streaming down his face, wrapped his arms around her, as if to shield her from something. Between sobs, he made an oath. "As long as I'm here... I'll never let them hurt you."

That was the day that Sokka the warrior was born.

-o-

Sokka slid to the ground behind one of the igloos, staring at his feet as he recalled the day. He had failed his mother. He couldn't save her. He'd sworn then that he would be stronger. That he would keep his sister safe. That he would keep everyone safe.

But if he left, he'd be abandoning her. He'd be abandoning all of them. She could get hurt. Aang could get hurt, and so could Toph, and Suki, and even Zuko... consciously, he knew that they were all capable of defending themselves, but that didn't get rid of the anxiety.

The Southern Water Tribe needed him. He was truly a warrior now. He had done more, and seen more, than any of his fellow tribesmen. And they needed his help in dealing with the other nations now that an uneasy peace had been restored. So how could he leave them now?

"Sokka, what's wrong?"

The sudden voice startled Sokka, and he yelped in surprise before recognizing the voice and the face of the figure standing over him. It was his sister.

"Hey, Katara," Sokka mumbled, looking back down, hoping she would let him sulk in peace. "I'm fine."

She rolled her eyes and plopped down in the snow next to him, heavy parka keeping her warm. "Sokka, you're sitting in the snow without outdoor clothes, staring at your feet and scowling like you did at lunch that time Aang burned all the seal jerky. You're not exactly hard to read. So come on. What's wrong? From what I hear, you should be pretty happy. Aang told me that Master Piandao's here. It's been almost a year, now, hasn't it?"

Dang it. He could never hide anything from her. But he didn't want to talk about it now. "Yeah… yeah, it's good to see him. Don't worry about me, Katara. I've just got some thinking to do. I'll talk to you about it later, okay?"

She smiled and nodded, understanding when some things should be left alone. "All right. If you want to talk, I'm going to be helping Master Pakku train some of his students." She touched her brother's arm sympathetically before turning to walk away.

Sokka, thinking quickly, grabbed her shoulder. "Wait, Katara. About this: don't tell Aang anything's wrong, okay?"

The look of fear on his sister's face as she pieced it together would haunt him for the rest of the night.


End file.
